as told to (your name here)

Nani lu'au

We started out snorkeling at Kahalu'u Beach Park, which may have been Beth's first time snorkeling. This was an interesting beach because fresh water coming down off the mountainside (Hualalai) bubbles up from underground through the sand here. You can feel it, since it's noticeably colder, and you can see it as well- when the fresh water mixes with the ocean water it makes the water cloudy and visibility sucks. But if you swim out about 40-50 meters, the visibility improves and you can see a few things. I saw a Moray Eel and some reef triggerfish, the state fish of Hawai'i. (Ask Beth to say the local name.)

After lunch, as some storm clouds were rolling in, we decided to try to ditch the crowds and try snorkeling another site, Honaunau Bay, outside the Pu'uhonua O Honaunau National Historical Park (it is still forbidden for non-Hawai'ian-Royalty to enter the water here). But by the time we got there, the winds had picked up to the point that getting in and out of the water would have been too hazardous. We went home to nap and get cleaned up for the Kona Village Resort lu'au that evening.

The lu'au was moved indoors on account of the weather, but the food and entertainment were top notch (Mmmm, po-kaaay). The accomodations at the Village also looked excellent, so if you're looking for a place to stay, this place gets my recommendation.

posted by tinyhands @ 11:59 PM